Lincoln County young farm couple Josh and Julieanna Ogle were named Tennessee Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Young Farmer and Achievement Award winners during special ceremonies held Saturday evening at the Tennessee Young Farmer Summer Conference. The young row crop farmers from the Flintville community, bested 19 other county contestants in state competition held at the headquarter offices of the Tennessee Farm Bureau in Columbia, Tenn., to be named the state winners and to also have the opportunity to compete for national honors in January.
Josh and Julieanna were named this year’s winners based upon farm and financial records from the farm year 2011. The Ogles farm over 4,405 acres in the surrounding Flintville and Elora area of Lincoln County. Their major crops are cotton, soybeans, wheat and corn. They are also in the process of starting a commercial beef cattle enterprise.
Both Josh and Julieanna have been very active in the Young Farmer and Rancher program, as well as the Lincoln County Farm Bureau and his community. Josh has served on the Board of Directors of the Lincoln County Farm Bureau since 2008 and currently serves on the American and Tennessee Farm Bureau’s Cotton Advisory Boards. Both are very active in their church. The Ogles have three children.
The rewards for being named the state winner are many. They receive a year’s free use of a brand new Case/IH tractor up to 150 hours. They also received $500 from Tennessee Farm Bureau, $500 from Ford and Farm Bureau Member Benefit Service, a fully loaded RTV to keep from Tennessee Farm Bureau, an insurance policy to cover the tractor for one year from Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee and a trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in Nashville at Opryland Hotel in January 2012, where he will compete for national honors with other state winners for national awards. The national will get their choice of a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado or 2013 GMC Sierra, courtesy of GM and paid registration to the 2013 YF&R Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, February 8-11. Three national runners-up will receive a Case IH Farmall 65A, courtesy of Case IH, and a $2,500 cash prize and STIHL Farm Boss, courtesy of STIHL.
Grant and Crystal Norwood from Henry County were named this year’s state runner-up Tennessee Farm Bureau Young Farmer of the Year winners during ceremonies held at the 2012 Tennessee Young Farmer Summer Conference held in Columbia, Tennessee. The Norwoods bested 19 other young farmer contestants from around the state to win the state honor. They farm over 2995 acres of diversified row crops. For receiving the state award they receive $1000 from Tennessee Farm Bureau, $500 in services from Tennessee Farm Bureau Insurance Companies and will be going to the American Farm Bureau National Convention to be held in January 2012 at Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
